According to all reports the Sri Lankan team has managed to stay within the first six following their performance in Borneo. This keeps Sri Lanka in contention for inclusion in the Hong Kong and Dubai Sevens.
What does this mean for rugby in this country? Some among the many rugby enthusiasts talk about the performance that may have been if Sri Lanka had its full side. Others say that we sent a second or third string team and possibly they played against identically weak opposition and as such the performance is commensurate. Should we be talking about buts and ifs?
The armchair pundits talk about those who should have played but did not. They decided not to play and thereby did not subscribe to the ascendancy of the game at the national level. When we should be talking of the future should we think of those that have not contributed? What is necessary is for the governing body to create the environment that will make them come back.
Sri Lanka is in contention for inclusion in the Hong Kong and Dubai Sevens |
I was to some extent skeptical when the team for the Commonwealth Games was announced. The inclusion of schoolboys was a point of worry. The reasons for me to feel this way was because of the huge gap that exists between the school level and the national level.
This concern was further reinforced when I thought of the physical imbalance between a player that is just out of school and that of a full-blown adult, expected to play at the CWG. I entertained such fears; I wonder whether I should continue.
These boys who are young have got exposed to the big guns on two occasions. I believe it is necessary for them to have more and more exposure, as we need to build a formidable team. What is important is to build that team. The next opportunity the boys will have, to show that they are reaching manhood in rugby, is the Carlton Sevens. These opportunities should be taken to nurture the sevens team into a tough unit. If they have shown commitment and performed to a level of expectation you should place your bets with them. Add or remove a few and that team will be built. The others will fall into the required pockets as time goes on.
This may require the continuation of the coach who is now more familiar with the set of players he has worked with. Give him the material and the time to make them fast, fitter and better sevens players. Inthie Marrikar, the coach, needs that space of time rather than being given a few days or weeks before he takes his team into the ring. He has chiseled something from the wood that has been supplied. It may not be the best but it has served the purpose. The polishing and presentation that has to be improved can be done if and only if he is given more time with a pool. I do sincerely hope he gets that and then in the years to come the team that will take wing will be a formidable one.
Sri Lanka has been drawn into a difficult group at the Carlton Sevens. It is a group consisting of New Zealand, South Africa and China. It is not going to be an easy task to stay afloat but when you are thrown into the water you need to learn to swim in order to avoid drowning. This reminds me of a quote made by a manager of a leading star that took the world by storm. “It took me three years to make a success of her overnight.” It’s not so easy to remember that everything started from nothing – and that you can look back to find the steps you need to reach success. Success in rugby comes in the form of self confidence. That is the belief in your own ability.
That comes from the player’s belief in his ability to perform the skills required for playing the game. To achieve this one must stay focused on the task. To do this you need the players and the coach to be with each other. We must start promoting the belief that this is the best team we have. If we do, the players can also think the same way. Can we give a better interpretation of the best team? That is the team that comprises of those who are capable and eligible to play. That is part of the mental aspect that is required. If people stay away and they are unavailable then they are not mentally there. Therefore they cannot be the best.
When I asked a senior rugby administrator for his views he had this to say, “One player was punished for taking a banned substance. There were others who had traces that were less than the upper limit, these included one who had been disciplined previously and means there could be others in the net.” He asked, “Are players scared of being tested positive?” He also said that with the revelation that the ‘doctor’ who treated the boxer saying that he has treated many rugby players the possibility is there.
Vimal Perera is a former
Rugby Referee, coach and
Accredited Referees Evaluator IRB |
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